Reports from Syria say Wahhabi extremists have desecrated the grave of an ancient Muslim figure near the capital, Damascus.The militants have reportedly attacked the mausoleum and exhumed the grave of Hujr ibn Adi in the Damascus suburb of Adra, and took his remains to an unknown location.

Hujr - a close companion of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and a staunch supporter of the first Shia Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (PBUH) - led the army of Muslims to victory in several crucial battles.He and his sons finally fell victim to their loyalty Imam Ali (PBUH) and were murdered on the orders of the Umayyad Caliph Muawiyah in the year 660 CE.

Syria has been experiencing a deadly unrest since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed in the chaos.The Syrian government says that the violence is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the insurgents are foreign nationals.Damascus says the West and its regional allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are supporting the armed groups. In addition, several international human rights organizations have accused the militants fighting the Syrian government of committing war crimes.